Gravitational mass and weight are related concepts but they have distinct meanings.
Gravitational mass refers to the measure of an object's intrinsic property that determines the strength of the gravitational force it experiences. It quantifies how strongly an object interacts with the gravitational field. In other words, it is a measure of the amount of matter an object possesses.
Weight, on the other hand, is the force exerted on an object due to gravity. It is the result of the gravitational attraction between the object and the celestial body it is near (usually the Earth). Weight is directly proportional to the gravitational mass of an object and is given by the equation W = m × g, where W represents weight, m represents mass, and g represents the acceleration due to gravity.
The key difference between gravitational mass and weight lies in the units of measurement. Gravitational mass is typically expressed in kilograms (kg) or other mass units, while weight is measured in newtons (N) or pounds (lb). Although weight depends on the gravitational field strength, gravitational mass remains the same regardless of the location or gravitational field in which an object is placed.
To summarize, gravitational mass refers to the intrinsic property of an object that determines its gravitational interaction, while weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity, dependent on both the object's mass and the strength of the gravitational field.